


One-in-Two Secrets

by Yemi Hikari (Yemi_Hikari)



Series: Digital Duo [2]
Category: Digimon Adventure, Digimon Tamers
Genre: Aki - Freeform, Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional neglect, Family, Family Secrets, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Multiverse, Mystery, Not Really Character Death, Ryou & Tai - Twins, parental neglect
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-16
Updated: 2015-04-02
Packaged: 2021-03-04 17:28:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 14,749
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25140124
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yemi_Hikari/pseuds/Yemi%20Hikari
Summary: Secrets between the Akiyama and Yagami family existed even before all eight Digidestioned met Ryo. Many are unaware of these secrets, but a certain Digidestioned finds keeping the secrets just eats him up. What he doesn't realize is there are even more secrets kept from him.
Relationships: Akiyama Ryou | Ryo Akiyama & Yagami Taichi | Tai Kamiya
Series: Digital Duo [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1849093
Kudos: 2
Collections: Digimon: One-in-Two Secrets, MinorFandomFest, Platonic Relationships, Siblings





	1. Prolog

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer - I don't own Digimon.

A soft rain trickled down onto the Akiyama family grave as a young figure stood in front of the grave stone with his hands in his pockets, his mouth twisted up into a frown. The young man didn't care much about the fact he was completely soaked to the bone form standing where he was. Two brown eyes simply stared at the grave as the fourteen year old youth's shoulder's tensed up. He didn't flinch when someone called out his name. "Yagami Taichi."

The boy tilted his head to look at the woman who held an umbrella over her head. Her face was painfully familiar, but his mind brushed away the recognition as he swallowed. "Akiyama-san... that's what I should call you isn't it?"

"Taichi..." The stern look fell from the woman's face, and was replaced by a sad look that wouldn't go away.

Tai let out an irritated sound upon seeing the look he took to mean pity. "Where is your husband? He isn't visiting the grave today?"

"You don't have to be this way?"

"Why not? To be honest I think adults are stupid."

"We adults do the things we do to protect you children."

Tai shoved his hands deeper into his pockets and stared at the grave, none to pleased that woman caught him here. His mind tried not to think about what happened to the young chosen one, and tried not to think about how the others seemed to forget about Ryo ever existing. Then again they may not like talking about the subject any more then he did. It was that, or they knew what happened to Ryo really bothered him.

"Did you hear what I said?"

Tai looked up at the sky as his shoulders suddenly relaxed. His brown eyes closed as he took a deep breath. "I heard what you said. While I do believe it is true you adults do the things you do to protect us children, I don't believe that actually means what you do isn't stupid."


	2. Explouding Feelings

_**...Fifteen Years Earlier...** _

Asagi Nami sat at the small cafe waiting for her twin sister to show up. Every so often she would look out towards the large building where Yuuko and her husband Sasumu worked, and she would blow on her tea. Other times she would look at her watch only to have her eyebrow twitch. A sigh would escape her lips, and she would tap the watch. A shuffling sound was heard as Yuuko came hurtling through the door of the shop. The older twin's face was flushed with excitement as she hurried to sit down next to her sister.

"I'm sorry I'm late. Akiyama-san wanted an up to date report on our progress for our particular project."

"Akiyama-san is such a pain. I know that he's your boss, but..."

Yuuko waved her hand. "No. He's not a pain. Ryochi covered for Sasumu and I before we got married, and they're best of friends. Plus..."

A loud explosion from outside the cafe caused Yuuko to not finish what she was saying. Glass from the cafe windows shattered in, and both women dived for cover. For a few minutes they remained under the cafe table, but then Yuuko moved away. Nami blinked a couple of times before pushing herself out from under the table. The young school teacher couldn't help but notice Yuuko hurrying towards the building next door.

"Nee-chan!" Nami found herself hurrying after her. Looking up at the building she could see smoke coming out. Yuuko hurried into the building, and Nami followed close behind her. While other people rushed out of the building she headed to the stairs and rushed up without anyone stopping her. Nami followed close behind. "Yuuko! This isn't a good idea!"

"They're both still in the building!" Yuuko stopped part way up the stairs to pant. Nami could see the tears streaming down her face. "That explosion came from our area. Akiyama let me go early when he found out I was meeting up with you."

Nami swallowed as her body tensed up. She found herself hurtling after her sister. They opened the door up and noticed smoke coming out from under a certain door. She watched as Yuuko pushed forward and grabbed for the door, only for it to open up as Ryoichi came out of the room choking on the smoke. He watched as she hurtled in, and quickly yelled. "No! Don't!"

Worry hit Nami's stomach, and she forced herself not to throw up. She pushed herself away from the door frame as the man rushed in after her sister. A white light fell across one half of the room. She watched as her sister tried heading into the light, and thought for a moment the parts that entered the light started to disintegrate. Ryoichi though grabbed her arm, and pulled her back into the room. Yuuko was visibly sobbing. "No..."

"I'm sorry Yuuko, but he's gone."

Nami leaned up against the door frame. "Akiyama... what the hell were you three doing?"

_**...Three Months After Event...** _

A soft rain trickled down upon a woman standing in front of the grave. The woman didn't care that her clothes were completely soaked, nor did she care whether the rain washed away the tears. One hand reached up to brush away a strand of hair absentmindedly as a shiver involuntarily ran through her body.

"Nee-chan..." Nami's voice caused Yuuko to suddenly look up.

"How's teaching going?"

"I'm finding solace in my students. It's nice knowing they're still alive. I don't know how else to put it." Nami let out a sigh of frustration as she twisted the umbrella she held around in her hand. "Look... you can't stand beside Sasumu nii-chan's grave. It's been three months now. He wouldn't want you to be like this."

"I can't help it. I've felt horribly ill ever since that incident. I can't help the fact his death is effecting me the way it does."

"Or perhaps you feeling ill has something to do with the fact you've not been taking care of yourself. Or maybe it has to do with that strange light at work? Humor me and see a doctor?"

"I can't see a doctor outside of the company. You know that very well don't you?"

"Then come with me and see the company doctor."

"I..."

"Humor me..." Nami grabbed her sister's arm, and tugged her away. They took the train and arrived at the company Yuuko and her dead husband worked for. Looking up Nami could see the scaffolding where the construction workers were working on fixing the building. Another tug and Yuuko followed her willingly in, and they headed to the doctor's office. The doctors were at first reluctant with Nami there, and because Yuuko wouldn't explain why she was there.

Eventually though she insisted they call Akiyama Ryoichi, and he insisted Yuuko be checked out. A few questions were reluctantly answered by the older twin before they proceeded to take some tests. They made sure to get Yuuko some dry, warm clothes as well. The doctor came back and flipped open the chart. "Mrs. Yagami... you said you've been feeling nauseated ever since the incident?"

"Yes. It's not because of what happened though. I've told my sister it has nothing to do wih that light she saw, but the fact I can't get over my husband's death."

"No. I don't think it is because you can't get over his death."

"Then it _is_ because of that light?"

"No. Normally I would be saying congratulations Mrs. Yagami, but with the fact your husband is dead... this may not be positive news for you. You're pregnant. I'm guessing you're four months along."

The female twins stared at the man in disbelief. Yuuko then burried her face in her hands and began to sob again. Nami's arm wrapped around her sister's shoulder, and her mouth twisted down. A knock came at the door, and Ryoichi poked his head in. Nami caught a glimpse of the flowers hidden behind his back, and the worried expression on his face. "I'm sorry. Is this a bad time?"

… _**In the Present …**_

"... I don't believe that actually means what you do isn't stupid." Tai continued to tilt his head back as the rain poured down. Silence remained between the two before he finally decided it was to awkward to continue staying. He also tried to avoid eye contact with the woman, and choose to walk in the opposite direction from her.

The woman grabbed his arm in a sharp manner causing him to wince. The fourteen year old turned his head back to look at her and winced when he saw the look of anger reflected in her own brown eyes. The woman's voice was also quite stern. "I don't want to hear from you about doing stupid things. Not when both you and Ryo happen to have..." The woman stopped short leaving off, " _... done some stupid things._ "

Tai pulled away from her, and gave her a nasty look as his lips twisted up in frustration. He also yanked his arm away. "Excuse me?"

"Don't act as if I just slapped you Taichi. You know what I'm talking about."

"Do you blame me for what happened to Ryo?" The question he hadn't want to bring up in front of her suddenly came out in a flourish. He swallowed as he looked at her, and felt his entire body tensed up.

"Ryo?" The woman's face softened with sadness. Her eyes closed.

Tai took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything. I know I'm not supposed to talk about him." The fourteen year old looked down at his sneekered feet and watched as the rain splattered into the puddles. " _Nobody wants to talk about him anymore._ "

"You don't have a reason to be sorry."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When Tamers aired I kept thinking of who the Tamers could be related to. The idea of Asaji/Asanuma Nami being related to Tai and Kari came from her sharing the same voice actress with Kari for the English dubs.


	3. Parallel Feelings

… _**At the Time of Event ~ Parallel World …**_

Yuuko waved her hand. "No. He's not a pain. Ryoichi covered for Sasumu and I before we got married, and they're best friends. Plus... I think he likes you."

Nami rolled her eyes as the corners of her mouth twisted up in amusement. "No... he's trying to settle for me because he lost _you_ to Sasumu. I've told you that many times before. I'm not that lucky with men."

Yuuko sighed and leaned back as she wrapped her arms around her stomach. "Seriously..."

"Seriously... can't you tell me what you're doing?"

"No. All I can tell you is we're a year or two behind schedule for some strange reason. Theoretically everything should be working, but in reality the theory isn't coming into practice. Theoretically speaking I wonder if we should really believe in this kind of stuff. I go along with it because both of them are so into this theory."

"Hmm..." Nami leaned back. "I'm not sure how you do it, living with a man who is as obsessed with his work as Sasumu nii-chan is."

Yuuko let out a light laugh. "You keep making excuses about a certain someone, don't you?"

"Making excuses about Aikiyama-san? No I don't think so. He's interested in you, and not me. How many times do I _have_ to tell you that."

… _**Three Months After Event ~ Parallel World …**_

Yuuko's hands clasped nervously as she sat at the fancy table. She glanced over at Sasumu and saw he was just as nervous as he was. Ryoichi soon joined them, and began to look at the menu. His eye kept darting over to the glass of water Yuuko was drinking, but he choose not to say anything. "Is Nami going to be here?"

"Nami? Of course she's going to be here. We haven't stopped trying to get you to be our brother-in-law." Yuuko flinched suddenly as her cheeks went red. "Sorry... I said that out loud Ryoichi."

The man looked away before tugging on his goatee. "It's not as if I'd be able to confess to her on my own. I've known the two of you since we were kids. She's also completely oblivious."

"I wouldn't say she's completely oblivious." Sasumu let out a chuckle as he took a drink of his glass of wine. "She knows you have feelings for someone."

Ryoichi let out a sigh before shaking his head. The waiter's walked Nami over to the table, and at first she stood there. "Are you two trying to hook me up with Aikiyama-san again?"

The man in question choked slightly on the glass of water he was started off with. "Come on. You and your sister have known me for a long time."

"I'm not sure why you put up with them doing this." Nami sat down at the table.

The man in question cleared his throat while the married couple watched the two with mirth. "How is your teaching job going?"

"I hate it." A silence fell over the table. Nami frowned, and finally spoke. "What? The kids I teach. They have no manners, they do weird things, and they obviously don't like me."

Sasumu cleared his throat. "We actually didn't invite you two here to try and hook you guys up."

Ryoichi breathed a sigh of relief while Yuuko smiled. "I'm pregnant. You're going to be an auntie Nami."

"Great... more noses to wipe." Nami turned to look at the man next to her. "I guess you really have to give up on my sister now. Sasumu nii-chan's definitely won."

The man chocked on his drink before a silence fell over the table for a bit as the three stared at Nami in disbelief. The corner of Sasumu's cheek twitched. "Well... we were hoping Ryoichi would be the godfather if it is a boy."

"We were really hoping though he would be their actual uncle some time soon." Yuuko glared at her sister, and Nami glared back.

… _**In the Present …**_

"You don't have a reason to be sorry." The sound of pity coming from the woman caused Tai to suddenly swallow as his shoulders tensed up. He wrapped his arms around his chest before looking away. He cleared his throat wondering what he should say. He didn't notice the woman reach out to touch his shoulder, only to stop within a foot. "I didn't realize Ryo's death was eating you up so much Taichi. You could have come and talked to me, or my husband. Or even your parents."

"Is that some kind of joke?"

The woman let out a sigh of frustration. "Really. You and Ryo really always have exasperated me. I am never able to read the two of you, never know exactly what you're thinking."

"I don't think you ever tried. Did you ever stop and think about that? The fact you never tried getting close to Ryo?"

The woman suddenly gripped the handle of the umbrella tighter. "Taichi... did you just switch from blaming yourself for Ryo's death to blaming myself? Even I... I know my son and I weren't close, but do you really think that had anything to do with his death."

Tai jammed his hands into his pockets. He continued to refuse to look the woman in the eye. "Maybe. I wasn't actually thinking along those lines. I was more of thinking about the fact Ryo wasn't happy about the fact he couldn't get close to _his_ parents. I guess I was lucky because I was able to get close to _mine_. I don't think that's quite fair. No... I don't blame you. You don't know anything about the Digital World, so you couldn't possibly have stopped him or me from getting involved with that place."

The umbrella suddenly clattered to the ground. Tai flinched as the woman suddenly grabbed his shoulders. "Taichi! Yagami Taichi! What did you just say just then?"

"Say?" Tai swallowed as he turned to look at the woman. He swallowed as he jammed his hands into his pockets. "I... it's nothing really that you need to worry about. I mean..." The boy swallowed. "It's not as if any of the adults have really payed it much mind before."

"Yagami Taichi!" The woman's voice rose causing the fourteen year old to flinch.

Tai took a deep breath. "I pretty much mentioned the Digital World."

"I was afraid you did."


	4. Data Remnants

… _**At the Time of the Event …**_

Sasumu ignored the drink his friend placed next to his keyboard.

"Are you sure you don't want to go with your sister to speak with your sister-in-law?"

"You said you weren't coming, so it's really a mute point unless I can get you to come." Sasumu didn't notice the audible sigh Ryoichi let out, or see the dark haired man run a hand through his hair in frustration.

"I think you're missing my point."

"You like Nami though don't you?"

"That's besides the point."

A click of the keyboard brought up some kind of sound. "They're obviously trying to communicate with us you know."

Ryoichi leaned up against the wall by the door and took a drink of his own coffee. "I'll remind you most people think it's nothing, others think it's aliens."

"Aliens? Why would they bother to send a signal to some place so far away. If you don't have reason to suspect your letter will be received, you just don't send it."

"You think sending a letter to Nami would work?"

This statement finally caught Sasumu's attention. He turned around with a frown on his face. "Why don't you just confess your feelings to her. You've known her since your childhood. It's really weird that you can't say anything about your own feelings."

"Yeah. Right." Ryoichi turned his head to look in a different direction while Sasumu went back to typing.

"You know [blank] agrees with me." Sasumu continued to type away at the keyboard when all of the computer screens in the room suddenly went white. The light began to spread out from said screen. His hand closest to the keyboard felt funny causing Sasumu to look down. The man felt his throat tighten at what he saw. "Ryoichi! Get out of here now!" Sasumu grabbed his arm with the other hand, only for this hand to also begin to disintegrate. He turned his head to see Ryoichi was starting towards him. "No! Get out!"

An explosion occurred then, and he honestly wasn't sure what happened to his friend. He felt himself knocked to the ground, and the air knocked out of his lungs. After a few minutes the ringing in his ears cleared. "I'm all right." Sasumu's hands reached out to his sides to push himself up from the ground. Upon feeling cold grass at the touch of his hands the man's eyes snapped open to see a blue sky above him. "Really?"

He sat up, and looked around as his lips pushed together. He dusted himself off before heading away from the place. No matter where he went he couldn't find his bearing, or where he was. The place obviously wasn't heaven either, and his stomach began to growl. Sometimes he heard the rustling of the bushes. Instead of investigating what was possibly in the bushes he choose to head in another direction.

He kept up until he found himself collapsing. His mind was a fog for awhile, but eventually he began to come to. Sasumu's brown eyes blinked a couple of times as he looked around the room he was now in.

"I see you're awake."

"He's just a stupid human."

The man turned his head to see a giant orange creature standing next to his bed. Sitting in a chair next to the bed was a humanoid like being dressed in a hood. Sasumu felt his facial muscles contort from the confusion. "Who are you? No. Perhaps I should ask what are you?"

"See... stupid human." The orange creature blurted out. It was then two bunnies came hurrying through the door and climbed up on the orange creature causing it to blink in a lazy manner.

"Agumon... is the human awake." The brown bunny asked.

"Don't ask him. Agumon's not very bright." The white bunny's comment caused the creature to jerk it's head causing the bunnys to fly off.

Sasumu blinked a couple of times before sitting up. "Did those two rabbits just... fly?"

"We're not rabbits. We're Digimon."

"I thought you would know that." The brown rabbit giggled before both hurtled out of the room.

The person in the hood pulled back said hood. "Welcome to our world. I'm Gennai."

Sasumu's brown eyes narrowed. Something bothered him. "Are you human?"

"I'm human, but I'm not."

"Were you the person communicating with me?"

The man raised a finger to his mouth. "Quiet. The others don't know."

"You mean you were doing something you weren't supposed to be doing."

"Well..." The man shrugged his shoulders. "Tell me about yourself."

"I'd rather not."

… _**In the Present …**_

"I was afraid you did." The woman's hands tightened on the fourteen year old's shoulders. "Taichi... are you telling me that you and Ryo went to the Digital World and came back?" The young teen stared at the woman in disbelief. "Taichi... did Ryo or you see your father in the Digitial World?"

Tai blinked a couple of times before pulling away. "What? Lady... what are you talking about?"

"I'm asking you if you've seen your father in the Digital World."

"Seen..." The fourteen year old backed away from the woman, and almost slipped in the process. "My dad. He's never been to the Digital World. He goes to work, and he comes home. Sometimes he goes drinking with his co-workers. I believe that includes your husband if I'm not mistaken."

"Taichi..." The woman's hand reached out to grab his wrist, but Tai pulled his arm away.

"Lady... you're scaring me right now." The fourteen year old felt his voice crack as the pressure of the situation got the better of him. He spun around, and this time began to run. Instead of heading in the direction of the entrance where Agumon was waiting for him he decided to try and lose her in among the grave stones.

"Wait! Taichi! Don't go that way!"

Tai's footing at that point in time decided to not cooperate, and he slipped on the puddle and crashed to the ground hard.

* * *


	5. Crossed Wires

… _**Six Months After the Event …**_

Ryoichi stood outside of the medical room where Yuuko was coming for her prenatal care. Nami of course was with her, and she really was the person he wanted to see. She of course kept having the same misunderstandings she always did, and would even glare at him while he was there. She finally stepped out of the room. "Why don't you just man up and ask her?"

"Ask her what Nami?"

"That's Asaji-san to you mister until you man up. This is your chance. Mind you... I doubt my sister will ever get over nii-san, but nee-chan honestly needs someone."

"I am honestly not following." The man raised his hands up, and his mouth twisted up in confusion."

"Ask my sister to marry you."

"Marry..." Ryoichi found himself taking a very deep breath. "You _really_ have some _really_ messed up ideas. And what if Sasumu comes back."

Nami crossed her arms as her voice rose up. "What do you mean if Sasumu comes back? Sasumu is dead. He's died in the explosion. That's on his death certificate. It was also _your_ experiment that made it so he's dead, and that's left my sister a widow with a baby on the way. _Plus..._ you have feelings for my sister. Man up and marry her. Plus... it will look good for your company." The woman brushed past him. "I'm going to go and get a coffee. Not that your companies coffee is any good."

Ryoichi's hands fell to his side. "Am I to take it as you hate me right now?"

"Of course. I can't stand a man who can't do right by my sister."

As soon as Nami was gone Ryoichi let out a sigh of frustration before ruffling his hair with both hands. He then knocked on the door to Yuuko's room. Her voice came from inside the room. "I'm actually finished in here. How are you doing Ryoichi."

Another sigh escaped his mouth before he opened the door. "How did you know it was me?"

"You like Nami. You always..." Yuuko's smile fell. The smile hadn't been a completely positive one, but now what little was there was now gone. "What ever is the matter?"

"She won't stop. Your sister I mean. Right now she blames me for what happened to Sasumu. She thinks I owe you. I honestly can't say I blame her. She thinks though I should marry you and replace Sasumu completely."

Yuuko looked at the wall. "It isn't as if he's coming back."

"Not coming back? That man wouldn't give up that easily, not when you're the most important thing in his life. Yuuko... he's going to find a way back from the Digital World."

"He's dead Ryoichi."

"Are you going to give up on his that easily? I'm not."

"It's not a matter of giving up! It's a matter of facing reality! And you don't owe me anything!" Yuuko paused. A deep breath came out of her mouth. "Well... I can't say you don't owe me anything. But you know how I'd like you to repay me? I'd like you to marry my sister."

"Yuuko... that boat's sailed. She is of the firm belief I need to marry you, and that I need to help you raise this child."

Yuuko looked at the ground. "She would be that way. Don't pay her no mind. By the way... she is rather late getting back."

Nami suddenly came from the other side of the door. "That's it. I've decided."

Ryoichi felt the corner of his mouth twitch. "Nami..."

"It's Asaji-san! I told you that!"

"That look on your face. You're up to something I'm not going to like."

"You bet I am!" Nami pointed at the two. "We're going to the municipal government office."

Yuuko blinked a couple of times. "Nami... doesn't there need to be two witnesses."

The younger twin suddenly tugged on the arm of someone. "I found this person who was more then willing to help."

"Ichijouji-san?" Ryoichi blinked a couple of times.

The blue haired man quickly bowed to the man. "Gomenasai! She's very... forthright?"

"That is a good word for it." Yuuko's hands clenched the front of her clothes. "And what if I say no Nami? Or Ryoichi says no?"

The younger twin pointed her finger at her twin. "I will keep hounding you until you two concede. This is for the good of you two. I also know where _both_ of you live!" Nami walked over and hooked her arms into those of Yuuko and Ryoichi.

… _**Eight Months After Event …**_

The room was dark except for the computer monitor screens people worked form as well as the major screen in the front of the room. Nami's insistence that he and Yuuko marry aggravated things very much, and thus came a shotgun wedding that both he and Yuuko hadn't wanted. "Come on Ryoichi... this situation is only until we get Sasumu back."

He didn't spend the nights at home with Akiyama Yuuko, and even if they did the two had separate rooms from each other. The marriage was one of convenience as Nami put it, and she rubbed in the fact he still would never win Yuuko's heart. " _Damn it Nami... you're the one whose heart I want to win._ "

The man took a deep breath as he continued. One of the other people noted how late it was, and the man sighed. He was about to sign out, but a glow from the monitors suddenly occurred. He took a deep breath remembering this was what occurred the day Sasumu dissapeared. He stood up and pushed the chair back. "Everyone! Leave the room now!"

Everyone hurried out of the room expecting an explosion like the one that hit six months ago. The door shut, and one of the staff members cracked a joke about how it was a good thing they had gotten out, otherwise Yuuko would yet again be a widow after only a months time.

No smoke came. Instead a bright light filled the room, and came from under the crack in the door. When it faded he headed to the door, and opened it up still expecting the worse. His eyes widened upon seeing something completely different. Two people in lab jackets lay on the floor semi-conscious. The male sat up first and rubbed his head. Akiyama swallowed. "Sasumu?"

The man in question stared at Akiyama in confusion. "Ryoichi? What are you doing here? I thought you headed over to Yuuko and my place to spend time with the twins and Nami-chan?"

The color quickly drained from Akiyama's face as Yuuko – who was supposed to be home in bed weeping – sat up. "Sasumu... what year do you think it is?"

"Year? What a funny question is that." The man let out a laugh and recited the month and date correctly, but then gave a year two years later. "What? Is something the matter Sasumu?"

"Yeah... there is something definitely the matter." Akiyama found himself swallowing knowing he would have to break the news to the _other_ Yuuko. He would also finally have to explain things to Nami about what they'd been doing this whole time.

… _**In the Present …**_

The fourteen year old felt his left hand hit the ground hard enough that the palm became scrapped, and his elbow ended up jarred. His left knee also hit the ground hard. Tai sat up closing one eye as he lifted his knee up to inspect the damage. His eyes took in the fact his school uniform was now ripped at the knee area, and the skin was badly scrapped. One hand reached up to rub his head to curse his luck, only to pause when he caught site of the grave in front of him.

Tai suddenly found himself back peddling so that his back was against the grave behind him. A sound escaped from his throat as he tried to yell out for someone, and his normally tan skin from playing outside turned a ghastly white – and not because of the rain. His brown eyes widened at the horror of the grave in front of him. The name on the grave read Yagami Sasumu.

Tai's entire body shook as he continued to stare at the grave. The woman's voice didn't make him stop staring in horror either. "Taichi! Seriously! We were just talking about you doing stupid things. We told you not to visit Ryo's grave, and yet you do just that. What are we going to do if Hikari followed you here? Please tell me you didn't..." The woman's voice slowed. "... turn in this direction."

The fourteen year old's head suddenly jerked from where he was still sitting in front of the ground. His eyes were still wide with horror, and he tried holding back the emotions that were welling up. "Yagami Sasumu?" Tai chocked back wanting to yell at the woman. "What kind of sick joke is this? Our dad is very much alive. I know I don't get along with him like Kari does, but I know he very well is alive."

The look on the woman's face caused Tai to push himself back slightly as his throat tightened. The woman's mouth was twisted up into a frown as she stared at Tai. "You weren't supposed to see this."

The fourteen year old felt his Adam's apple bob down, and his hand's clenched. The left opened back up due to the pain from where his hand scraped the ground. "If the person buried here is Yagami Sasumu, then who have I been calling father this whole time? Actually... _why_ was I living with people who weren't my biological parents?"

"Taichi..."

Tai's voice began to raise as the panic in the back of his mind. "It's _bad_ enough with _that_ woman hating me like she does, but _you_ also hated me enough to give me up like that? Was that one of those experiments where you separate twins into different family environments to see how they'll turn out? Because I honestly don't enjoy the idea of being manipulated like this."

"Taichi..."

"I've grown up this entire time thinking Kari was my half sibling! I thought you and dad... the man I thought was my dad... got divorced or something like that. Now I come to find out you just randomly gave me up to some stranger for some kind of experiment. What am I supposed to think of that?"

"Will you please listen to me?"

"Why should I listen to you!" Tai could feel his voice straining as his voice suddenly rose to past the point he wanted it to. "I've _always_ hated lying to Kari! I've _always_ hated the fact she didn't know any of this either! I've hated the fact Ryo and I were separated, and not allowed to acknowledge each other. It's been lie after lie! And Ryo! Do you know what you _did_ to him? Do you know how _alone_ he always felt?"

He watched as the woman took a deep breath. One hand held onto the umbrella she retrieved, while the other reached out to grab his hand. Tai suddenly slapped it away, and found himself pushing himself off the ground and into the sprint. This time he headed down towards the entrance, and blew past Agumon without realizing he had done so.


	6. Crashed Computer

… _**A Year After the Event ~ In Digital World …**_

The world Sasumu ended up in honestly wasn't what he expected. The world was populated mostly by creatures that called themselves Digimon. There were also people like Gennai who were human, and yet not human as the monk said. The world also contained a strange form of technology that worked on a different basis then the way technology worked in his world. While the monks didn't mind him using their technology he had to also learn said technology from the ground up.

One of the things that perked his interest was the screens attached to various pieces of technology in the real world. A person could easily see the people on the other side, but the people on the other side could not see the people watching them. Via this means one could find out things going on in the other world. Even if one wanted to do more with the other world the monks seemed to have a stance of not interfering with the other world.

Sasumu still found himself glued to the screen as he tried to find anything involving he people he left behind, and yet there was something that always bothered him.. Gennai would watch from the doorway, and sometimes he would bring the man food. At these times he would stand behind him and shake his head. "I see you've finally figured out how to pick which objects from your world you look through."

"Mostly computers, and televisions. Those seem the most apt for your screens to work on." Sasumu clicked through a news stations broadcast and saw a man with blond hair speaking to the computer. Sasumu didn't pay the large bowl of ramen any mind. "They got a new reporter."

"I know you want to find out about the people you care about. Why don't you? You now can."

"Maybe I'm a little afraid of what I'll find out. I've been gone for more then a year. There is no telling if they still consider me to be alive or not. I'm honestly still wondering if any of this is real, or if perhaps I've gone into a comma and happen to be dreaming this."

Terriormon tore into the room at the moment closely followed by his twin Digimon. "Hey! I can pinch you if you want. That tends to prove whether you are in a dream or not."

Sasumu's mouth opened to say something, but then snapped shut. Gennai tapped on his shoulder. "You know... the sooner you face what you fear, the less negative effect it is likely to have on you."

A sigh escaped the mouth of Sasumu, and he tapped the keys bringing up the home computer screen. Nothing at first appeared on the screen, but then Sasumu froze when someone entered into the frame from which he could see things. Kokomon finally stammered something out. "Wait... isn't that you?"

Sasumu leaned back in the chair. "Are you telling me I'm not myself?" The corner of his mouth began to twitch. "I mean... I'm here, but I'm there at the same time. This has to be a dream, right?"

Gennai crossed his arms. "I don't know." One hand went up to his mouth as he watched the man. A woman came onto the screen then carrying an infant, and the other Sasumu turned around.

"Yuuko... did you call."

"You know I don't want Taichi near computers."

"I think you're being a bit paranoid."

Sasumu in the Digital world placed two hands over his eyes. "Why me? Of all the things I can have missed out on..."

Gennai however placed a hand to his mouth. "Why is your wife paranoid about taking the child near a computer?"

Two brown eyes blinked as Sasumu looked at the screen. Yuuko disappeared off the screen, and the other Sasumu followed close behind. The man then came back to write an e-mail.

_Akiyami-san –  
_

_I'm replying to your question in regards to how we are adjusting. At this point I honestly can't say. My wife is paranoid of the computers, but I believe you already know the reason for this. She is also over protective of our son. This likely stems from the same reason she's currently paranoid of computers. I can't say more as there is a limit to what I can say over e-mail, so I will speak to you at work.  
_

– _Yagami-san_

Sasumu in the Digital World frowned. "That's not right."

"What isn't right?" Gennai leaned closer.

"I never address Ryoichi by his last name in the e-mail correspondence we have even for work. I don't use my last name either. The e-mail is to formal." Fingers hit the keyboard as Sasumu pulled up Ryoichi's computer. He saw the man on the other side. The e-mail the other Sasumu sent was received, and read. He watched as Ryoichi let out a sigh.

The sound of the door opening was heard, and then Yuuko appeared on the screen. Nothing about her was paranoid about said computers. "Why aren't you giving up on that?"

"Giving up on that?" Ryoichi turned to look at the woman. "I don't see why I should. I mean... there is still hope."

"Hope..." Yuuko crossed her arms across her chest. "With everything that's happened I wonder if that's true."

"Ah... looks like your wife is cheating on you with another man." Terriormon began to giggle.

"No..." Sasumu shook his head. "The distance between these locations is to far. The time between I saw Yuuko on the other screen, and I saw her on this screen is not enough to travel from one location to another, let alone change clothes."

As if on cue Yuuko came into the frame on the other computer. "Please... I don't like you near computers."

"Yuuko... this is my work."

Kokomon blinked a couple of times. "Wait... how can they be on the computer screens at the same time. That's not possible."

"No... it isn't." Gennai narrowed his eyes. "Anyways..."

A sniffing sound came from the door. "Ramen. I smell ramen."

A crashing sound was heard as the big Agumon dived for the ramen noodles next to the keyboard, and sent them flying everywhere."

Sasumu blinked a couple of times as the computers began to have problems. "Agumon..."

The man's fist came down hard onto the Digimon's head as it let out a yelp.

… _**In the Present …**_

Tai could feel the water seeping through his sneakers as he continued to run away from the place _that_ woman was. His sneakers felt nasty when he simply stood there, but as he ran the water pushed through between his toes even more. Something though made it so he simply couldn't stop running, and he didn't stop even when his breath began to hurt. What caused him to finally stop was something tackling him from behind.

The force caused the air to be knocked out of him, and his chin hit the concreate hard. His already sore palm and knee became even more scratched up. One arm pulled underneath him, and he rested his forehead. A heavy weight settled upon his backside, and a worried voice broke through the sound of the rain. "Taichi?"

"Agumon..." Tai let out a deep breath as he heard his Digimon speak. "This sucks."

"Hmm..." Agumon continued to sit on Taichi's back waiting for an answer, but no verbal response came. Instead after a few minutes Taichi twisted around so he was on his back, and he crossed his arms so they covered his eyes. "Taichi... are you crying?"

"No." Tai continued to lie on his back. "Destiny really sucks."

The Digimon blinked a couple of times. "You're not talking like yourself." The fourteen year old pulled his arms back as the rain continued to pull down. He let out a sigh as he blinked the rain drops falling into his eyes back, only to find one arm reaching up to wipe the drops away. "Are you really sure you aren't crying?"

"I'm not crying Agumon." Tai pulled himself out from underneath the Digimon into a sitting position. Agumon sat in front of the fourteen year old as the young man pulled out his hand held computer to check his e-mails. He thumbed through to a certain e-mail and opened it up. His brown eyes narrowed as he read the words in said e-mail.

" _Fight destiny. ~ Ryo_ "

The fourteen year old pushed some buttons on the keypad and re-forwarded said e-mail to himself. "Seriously... destiny sucks."

The Digimon tilted his head as he looked at his partner. "Taicho... you're really not talking like yourself. Normally you talk about how one shouldn't fight ones destiny."

Tai closed down the small computer and flopped back to the cold ground. This time he covered his eyes with the small computer. "I'm starting to think Ryo was right."

"Oh?" Agumon placed a clawed limb over his mouth. "Ryo was right about what?"

"About fighting one's destiny. Seriously... last e-mail I got from him."

The only sound heard was the rain falling onto the ground. The Digimon finally stood up. "Taichi. We need to head on home. Kari and your parents are likely worried about you."

Tai jolted up at Agumon's comment. His mouth twisted up into a frown briefly interrupted by the gritting of teeth as the palm of his hands scraped against the cement. He brushed them against his pants in order to wipe the grit from his hands. His arms relaxed at his sides. "Home?" The fourteen year old shook his head. "I don't think I can go back there."

The yellow Digimon blinked a couple of times. "Taichi..." One clawed hand reached out to nudge Tai. "What do you mean you can't come back? They're your family. Right?"

"Family?" The fourteen year old felt a strain on his throat. The youth stood up as he slipped the computer and his hands back into his pocket. "I wonder about that." Tai carefully took in his surroundings. "Come on Agumon."

The Digimon's green eyes blinked a couple of times. "This isn't the direction to go back home."

"I know that. Don't worry." Tai continued walking towards the closest subway entrance. Agumon followed after him. The youth payed for their tickets and waited for the train. When the train arrived at the station they took a seat in one of the empty cars while Tai stared at the ceiling.

"We're heading to Shinjuko?"

"Yes..." Tai continued to look up at the ceiling. The fourteen year old pushed himself up upon arriving at the station, and the Digimon followed after him. The partially dried clothing he wore became soaked again as he began to walk to the destination. Agumon's eyebrows went down, and his jaw line twisted into a frown. Every so often the yellow Digimon would open his mouth to say something, but then think better of it.

The young Digidestioned finally reached the house he was looking for and twisted around on his feet causing gravel to crunch under his feet. The family name on the post read Akiyama.


	7. Sub-Division

… _**Nine Months After Event …**_

"I'm afraid they may have a case." Ryoichi watched as the woman in front of him suddenly flinched prior to turning her head to look at the man. "Don't look at me like that Nami."

"The last time I checked judges are more likely to favor the mother in a custody suit. They'll award custody of the baby to you and my sister." The woman crossed her legs before looking over to where her sister sat on the other side of the couch. "Besides... that man is not Yagami Sasumu."

"Right there is our first problem." The dark haired man paced the room back and forth. "What are we going to say in a court of law? We can't out right say that particular Yagami Sasumu is from another world. I've already told you my companies research is top secret, and we'd be laughed out of court if we even bring that up and we'll instantly lose the case. _If_ our Yagami Sasumu does ever manage to return he won't get to see either of his children."

"We can argue though that Yagami Yuuko isn't..."

"Really?" Ryochi sat down at the kitchen table. "The way a person would go about proving that someone is or isn't someone is by using DNA testing. I've already had a test run, and there is no difference between your sister and that Yuuko's DNA. This would yet again bring up the companies research."

"Wouldn't the DNA prove our case without having to bring up your companies research."

"It's not just that." Yuuko's hands folded together as the corners of her mouth twisted down. "We also have the problem of whose the real Yuuko." The woman watched as her sister gave her a look of utter shock. "You know I'm the real Yuuko, Ryoichi knows, and I know. But..."

"She feels she to is the real Yuuko."

"The real Yuuko is married to you, and not that fake Yagami Sasumu."

"About that..." Ryouchi stood up and started to pace like he had before. "Would our marriage actually hold up in a court of law."

"Nii-san was declared legally dead because of the explosion."

" _Was_ is the operative word here. The company's gone and changed his status so that the other Yagami Sasumu can step into his place." Ryouchi looked up in time to see Nami opening her mouth to protest. "They did it _because_ they want him working for them."

"Is what your company doing even legal?"

"The research is completely legal."

"But getting his legal status changed? Making it so that other woman takes sisters place?"

"They're not the ones who decided to declare him dead in the first place. The companies status in regards to Yagami Sasumu has been that he's very much alive, but the explosion was something nobody could have survived so the government declared him dead. It wasn't as if we could disclose the fact we were working with alternate realities – this place called the Digital World. They wouldn't have believed us, and have asked for proof."

Nami let out a deep sigh as Ryouchi continued to pace. "Akiyama-san... the problem is that woman is taking my sister's place."

"She still has a job at the company."

"She really can't get a job anywhere other then the company now that this has happened."

"They've created a background story for her."

"How is any of this fair?" Nami stood up from the couch.

"It's not."

"I just want to be able to keep my baby." Yuuko's hands clenched the seat of her pants, and her knuckles turned white.

"Babies. If the other Yuuko is correct you're going to have twins."

"And if she's right they're already named Ryo and Taichi."

Nami flopped down onto the couch. "I think the only reason you're saying what you're saying is because they insist the babies were named after you. Can't..."

"Be reasonable Nami. Yagami Sasumu is going to be listed as the father of the baby or babies."

"Why? Why can't we just list you as the father."

Ryoichi's eyes widened, and the tone of his voice strained. " _Why_? I honestly _don't_ mind raising my best friends children, but I will _not_ insult him by claiming them as mine. I will not lie to the children either."

"Really? You're going to tell them about what really happened to their father as well?"

The man took a deep sigh. "Nami... I'm talking about not lying to them about _who_ their father is. Don't twist my words around to mean something they don't."

"My sister could..."

"Divorce me and make her own decision? Yes. She can do that. You know full well though how our society treats a single woman raising children."

"So they're just going to take the baby and we'll never see him or her again?"

Yuuko's lips pressed together. "No. We may not be able to take this to court, but we do have the upper hand when it comes to bargaining. Don't we?"

"Yes. We have the upper hand I believe."

"That means I can place certain conditions on them? Like making the child believe we're divorced, Sasumu and I? Or making sure the child knows she's not their real mother?"

"That..." Ryoichi folded his arms. "Yes. We'd have to put on such a stipulation if the child is to know you're their mother. We can't really explain to them until possibly their older. Even then things may not be possible."

… _**Two Years, Nine Months After the Event ~ In Parallel World …**_

The apartment of Asaji Nami was smaller then the apartment of Yagami Sasumu and Yuuko. This thought crossed Ryoichi's mind as he stood outside the front door with his hand waiting to knock on the door. A sigh finally escaped his lips and his hand came down to knock on the door. No answer came, but then he heard the sound of a chair scrapping the floor. The sound of two young children speaking with each other told him who was answering the door.

A clicking sound was heard, and the chair moved again. Ryoichi watched as the door opened up slightly. "Who is it?"

"Tai... who is it?"

"Stinky man."

Ryoichi felt the corner of his mouth twitch. "Let me guess. Your aunt likes calling me that." He watched as Tai nodded his head. "Has she told you not to open the door to strangers?"

"You're not a stranger." Ryo suddenly leaned over to look around his brother before toppling over.

"You two didn't know that before you opened the door though."

"Oh..."

"Can I come in?"

"I don't know. We're not supposed to open the door to strangers."

Ryoichi blinked a couple of times as he looked at Tai. "I'm not a stranger though."

The door swung open at that point, and Ryoichi stepped into the hall of the small apartment and took off his shoes. The shoes of the children and Nami were missing. "So... where are your shoes?"

"Hide and seek."

The man reached up to ruffle his hair. "I guess this is something the two of you get from your father.

"Tai hid them. I'm finding them. Then he hides them, and I find them."

"I think you mean then I hide them, and he finds them."

"You want to play to?"

"No. I want you two to put the shoes back." He watched as the two boy's hurried off to grab the shoes. " _Are all toddlers like this._ " He headed into the main room with it's small couch that folded out to be a bed. Nami was asleep on the couch, and a few bottles were scattered around the room. He leaned over and nudged her shoulder.

The woman startled awake. "What? What ever is the ma... Ryoichi-chan? What are you doing in _my_ home?"

"Why are you drunk?"

The woman sat up and rubbed her forehead. "First tell me why you're in my apartment."

"I'm in your apartment because you were to drunk to hear me knock on the door, so Ryo and Taichi let me in. And did you just call me Ryoichi-chan?"

The man watched as the woman's cheeks turned read. "Of course not! Akiyama-san is Akiyama-san." Ryoichi turned his head to look at the two children who were returning the shoes to the front. Nami blinked a couple of times. "Ryo! Taichi! What the hell are you two doing with my shoes?"

The two children suddenly flinched, and the shoes dropped down where they were. They hurried over to the window that led to the balcony and hid behind the curtains. "That wasn't called for."

Nami pinched the bridge of her nose. "Not called for? I can't have them dressing in my clothes. They're both boys."

"They weren't dressing in your clothes. They were taking turns hiding the shoes, and finding them. Seriously... you're worrying me. You can't be drinking like this. You've got two children to take care of."

"Take care of. I wasn't supposed to take care of them. You know as well as I they meant for you to be their Godfather."

"Yes... but it was never put into their will."

"I don't understand why." Nami leaned back and covered her eyes. "They know I hate children."

Ryoichi felt the corner of his mouth twitch. " _Perhaps because they thought_ _the two of us would be married. And do you really hate children that much._ " He took a deep breath. "Marry me."

"No. I'm not a replacement for Yuuko."

"Then would you be willing to let me adopt the boys?"

The woman then sat up. "Ryo and Taichi are _my_ family."

"Yes. I got that. You're living on your teacher's salary. You don't like children. Things aren't going well. If you're worried about not seeing them anymore, that wouldn't happen." The man stood up. " _And I'd be able to see you more._ "

"Yes... but..." Nami glanced over at the curtains where the two toddlers were still hiding.

"Are you worried that they'll be upset about this?"

"I..." The woman turned away. "Of course not."

"Taichi, Ryo, come here." The man watched as the boys came out from the curtains. "How would you two like to come and live with me?" He watched as the boy's brown eyes blinked a couple of times, and smiles spread across their faces. "How about taking on my family name?" He watched the boys frown. "Something the matter?"

"Ka-chan, tou-chan no longer ka-chan, tou-chan?" Ryo narrowed his eyes at the man while Tai looked away in a distracted manner.

"No. I'm just stepping into their role for them because they can't be with you two."

"What about Aunt Nami?" Ryo looked at the ground.

"Aunt Nami's scary!"

"Don't worry. She will still see you guys."

"As if." Nami muttered while her arms crossed her chest.

"Of course it does depend on her," Ryoichi glared at the woman.

"Go ahead. Ryoichi's place is nice."

The two boys hurried off to grab their things while the man leaned back letting out a sigh. He turned his head to look at Nami. "Are you sure this is what you want Nami?"

"Why not? I don't like kids." The woman crossed her arms. "And I'm not going to marry you just because you think I'm a replacement for Yuuko either."

"That's not..." The man sighed. "I know you're grieving, but..."

"I know. I should have taken better care of them." The woman turned to look at them. "This is simply best for them."

"I'm not exactly sure if it is what Sasumu and Yuuko would have wanted."

… _**In the Present …**_

Agumon blinked a couple of times as he took in the place he and Tai stopped at. The Digimon tugged at Tai's uniform jacket. "Taichi... isn't this where Ryo lived?"

"Yeah. It is." Tai opened the gate, and proceeded up the walkway. The Digimon followed after his partner only to dive to the side when the young Digidestioned reached up and rang the doorbell. A dark haired man who answered stared at the teen. "Mr. Akiyama."

"Taichi, what..." the man stopped speaking before letting out a deep breath. "You're soaking wet, and your uniform is a mess. After you take a bath and change into dry clothes I'll drive you home."

Tai swallowed as he jammed his hands into his pockets. "No thank you."

Out of the corner of his eye Tai could see Agumon began to fidget as well as given him a worried look. The adult glared at the youth as his body stiffened up. "Excuse me?"

"I don't want to go home."

"I got that much from what you said. Do you really think you have an option in the matter? Your parents..."

"They _aren't_ my parents."

The man's hands suddenly gripped the door tightly. "Taichi..."

"What exactly happened to my _real_ father."

The color of the man's face suddenly drained away before he looked away. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Tai titled his head to look at his Digimon. "Agumon... could you come here."

Two green eyes blinked a couple of times before the Digimon came out from the shadows. "Taichi... I don't think this is a good idea."

The man's voice quickly strained. "Yagami Taichi? What the is that?"

"This is my Digimon. He's from a place called the Digital World."


	8. Mismatched Circiuts

… _**Ten Months After Event …**_

When people asked Yuuko why she didn't find out the gender of her baby she would say she wanted to be surprised. The few people in her social circle she kept socializing with blamed Susumu's death for making her not want to know as she didn't want to know if her baby was a girl instead of a boy. After the Sasumu and Yuuko appeared from the other world the reason for not wanting to find out was because she didn't want _them_ to be right.

Despite the fact she didn't want them to be right she knew they were without having any tests done. Even before they appeared she suspected she was having a set of male twins. She wanted to not name the two children Ryo and Taichi like they said because she wanted the freedom to choose the names for the two children. Despite this fear she knew the names she and Sasumu would have picked were those exact same names.

Accepting meant admitting this other Yuuko was the same person as herself, but in reality she didn't want to accept the fact there was another her.

She also found she didn't want to give up one of the babies when the time came. The deal she decided to make though involves giving up one of the babies should their be twins, and the baby she would give up would be the youngest. Said child would also be clearly told the other woman wasn't his birth mother, and they would explain the separation as the two of them being divorced. Things should work out fine.

Things didn't seem that way when the time came.

Everything was honestly painful, and the anxiety she felt at being separated from one of her children grew. She also knew she didn't like the other Yuuko despite trying her hardest to do so. " _She's just as upset at being separated from her children as I am,_ " switched to " _but they're 'my' children._ " She also thought constantly about how unfair the whole thing was as she was the one giving birth.

And then it was over. She got to hold both children in the hospital connected to the company, but when they went home they ended up only taking one child. That's when the numb depression set in. She got back to work instantly, and could hear Ryoichi speaking over her shoulder from the doorway of her room. "Aren't you going to spend time with Ryo."

This eventually led to him taking her into the company's assigned specialist. "I don't have a mental disorder."

"I'm not saying you do. You're wanting though to get back to work sooner then normal, so the company wants you to see the company therapist."

"Ryoichi... I know full well you had some say in that."

"I'll watch Ryo while you go in and talk to the specialist."

Yuuko's fingers drummed on the car door not liking the situation. She also didn't like speaking with the company specialist. "I don't have a mental disorder."

"I'm not saying you do. I'm brought in though whenever a company member goes through a major loss to help with the grieving process. You lost your husband around ten months ago, and now you're dealing with the loss of one of your children. It's natural for a mother to grieve for said loss."

"Taichi's not dead. We've made arrangements for the boy's to see each other every so often."

"Yes. I'm talking about how it feels to you though. This isn't any different from a situation where a child is lost through death."

"Things are different. Taichi's not dead. May I please simply be allowed to go back to work?"

The specialist tapped their fingers against their clipboard. "I'm honestly not seeing why not. My other job though is to make sure families are adjusting to their situations."

"Don't you think the situation is hard to adjust to?" Yuuko let out a deep sigh. "I mean... the man I'm married to right now I don't consider to be my husband. We married so that Ryo... and Taichi for that matter would be taken care of until my husband got back."

"Still. It's my job to help with said adjustments."

"It sounds like the company is worried about my mental state more then anything. I can still do my job."

"As I said. This isn't about whether you can do your job or not, but we'll leave it at this for this meeting.

… _**Two Years, Nine Months After the Event ~ Parallel World …**_

"This place is bigger then mama and papa's."

One of Ryoichi's eyebrows went up as he looked at the younger of the twins. Tai let go of his hand and quickly ran into the room and spun around to see the entire room. Ryo though continued to hold onto his hand. The man looked down and saw the older twin's lip starting to tremble. "Ryo..."

"When's mama and daddy coming home?"

Ryoichi looked away from the child. Tai came running back into the room. "This place is big. Can we play hide and seek with the shoes?"

"No." The man took a deep breath, and let go of Ryo's hand. He turned and got down so he was at eye level with the older twin. "Has you're aunt Nami talked to you about this? About the fact your mom and dad aren't coming back?"

The twins stared at the man for a few minutes, and Ryoichi at first thought neither one of them understand. A sniffling sound suddenly came from Ryo as the man held his hands a few inches away from the boy's shoulders. The boy simply went and sat with his back turned. Tai on the other hand proceeded to pull a toy care from his bag, and began to push it in front of him. Neither child seemed happy, and both seemed happier with Nami.

The phone rang and Ryoichi hurried to pick it up. "Hello?"

" _Please tell me the boy's are with you? That's why the apartment was locked, and they're not here._ "

"They're with me Nami." The man took a deep breath. "You're not drunk anymore are you? You don't remember our conversation."

" _No. I'm not drunk anymore. I don't remember the conversation, but I have the feeling you took the boys away to get them from this situation._ "

"We talked about marriage..."

" _Not going to happen._ "

"And me adopting the boys."

" _That's likely best. I didn't even notice they were gone, and was to drunk to... well, even if I wasn't drunk this isn't the best place for them, nor is my teacher's sallary. Me being a teacher raising two children._ "

"You'll be sure to see them."

" _I don't know..._ "

"Because they remind you of her?"

" _No. I'm just not the nice person Yuuko was._ "

"She wasn't always a nice person either. She had a temper I recollect that neither one of us wanted to get on the wrong side of."

" _They don't like me._ "

"I don't know." Ryoichi pulled his hands reciever over the phone. "Do you two like you're aunt Nami?"

"No. She's mean." Tai piped up.

"Yes. She looks like mama."

The man took a deep breath. "Well... you got one yes, and one no."

" _The yes was likely from Ryo. I think he was hit hardest by sis's death. Truth be told I don't think little Taichi realizes they're gone for good. He's just picking up on the fact Ryo's upset. I think. The only way I can tell them apart is because sis never cut Taichi's hair. Take care of them for me._ "

"You take care too Nami."

… _**In the Present …**_

Every morning they would walk past the door to the room which remained shut from the outside world. Neither one of them could open the door ever since Ryo disappeared. There were no clues as to what happened. The police assumed there was a kidnapping, but no ransom came. Thus the questioning went in directions neither one wished to remember, and finally the company intervened. Twenty-four hours passed, then a few months, and then he was labeled as dead despite no body ever being found. There was of course no other place he could be.

Yuuko of course didn't like staying in the place any more then Ryoichi did. Despite the fact they were married on paper they never felt like a married couple, nor had they ever shared a room. She also ate a good deal of meals over at her sisters like she would be doing tonight. She also mentioned the fact she would be visiting Ryo's grave, and he asked if she wanted him to go with her. This was met with a silence.

He wasn't though expecting any form of visitor that night, so he was surprised to see Ryo's twin brother at his door. The boy's clothing was soaked, and the knee of his school uniform was torn. The stubbornness both of the boys were known for showed up when Tai insisted he didn't want to go home. "They _aren't_ my parents."

Something told Ryoichi then that something was wrong as Tai shouldn't have any inkling that would lead to such a conclusion. The man of course didn't want to say anything, but then the boy brought out the creature he claimed was from the Digitial World – the place that Sasumu disappeared to those many nights ago. He found himself waving for the boy to come into the house with the Digimon.

The man folded his arms and looked the boy over one more time as Tai gave him a rather stubborn look. He then turned around and headed to the stairs causing Tai to call out to him. "I've not forgotten the fact you're here for answers. That doesn't change the fact you're soaking wet, and need some dry clothes to change into. You should also take a warm yourself up by taking a shower or a bath."

The man stopped outside of the door to the room which remained shut. He shook his head and muttered to himself. "It's been three years. Ryo's clothes won't fit him."

He instead grabbed a pair of sweats and oversized shirt. He returned down stares to see Tai glaring off to the side while his fingers tapped on the counter. The boy was obviously irritated at not getting his answer right away. "Are you hungry?"

The fourteen year old's head twisted around and a frown creased Tai's mouth. "I'm not here for a social visit."

"We can talk while we eat. Go take a shower." The man watched as Tai grabbed the clothes, and then heard the bathroom door slam shut. He then turned his attention to the Digimon staring at him. "I guess I have to feed you as well?"

"That would be nice."


	9. Chapter 9

… _**Three Years, Ten Months After Event …**_

A small figure waited in the entrance of the Yagami apartment. Tai tucked his knees to his chest and rocked back and forth. Every so often the toddlers brown eyes would look up at the door to his parents room. When nobody came out he would look down at his feet and let out a sigh. The door to the room opened and the toddler stood up while his hands gripped the straps of the backpack he was wearing. "Late!"

A chuckle left Sasumu's mouth as a grin spread across his face. One hand reached down to grab the boy's small hand. "We're not late, so don't worry."

The child still pulled forward and his free hand reached for the doorknob as he pushed forward. "I want to see Ryo."

"Slow down. They'll still be there when we get there." The man opened the door, and Tai took off tugging the man after him. When they got onto the elevator the boy began to fidget and the man placed a hand on the top of the boy's head in order to calm him down. When they got onto the train the boy kicked out his feet until they got to their destination. The man kept a tight grip on the boy's hand until they got to the family restaurant.

Tai managed to slip his hand lose as soon they entered, and he hurried forward to greet Ryo and the man who brought him. A resounding smack was heard as the two boy's collided causing both to fall onto their bottoms. Both boy's reached up to grab the top of their heads as they glared at each other. Sasumu walked over and scooped Tai up while Ryoichi came to retreave the other twin.

"I hope you don't mind Yagami, but I already placed an order for you two."

Sasumu gave the man a weak smile as he sat Tai down into his lap. Ryo sat next to Ryoichi and his small head rested against the cold table top while the other twin held onto the top of his head and frowned. "You knew what we wanted?"

"You always order the same thing. That's something you have in common with him. As for Taichi... even though he's always changing his mind about what he wants to eat he always wants the same thing as Ryo."

Ryo's head came up, and the toddler twisted around to pick up something. He then turned around and pushed a wrapped package towards his brother. "Here. Tai likes soccer. Happy birthday."

Tai stopped holding his head, and instead took off his backpack. He pulled out his package. "Ryo likes..."

Sasumu quickly covered the boy's mouth. "If you say that he'll know what it is."

A frown spread across Tai's face as he pushed the package he brought with him forward, and he then took the package Ryo brought and pulled it into his lap to unwrap. In the package was a pair of goggles. A frown spread across the boy's face which in turn caused a frown to spread across Ryo's face. "Not like?"

Tai pointed to his forehead. "My head hurts."

A chuckle left Sasumu's mouth. "Tai likes it. He just can't wear them right now like he wants because his head hurts."

"Oh." Ryo grabbed the package his brother brought. A smile spread across his face as he opened the package and held up the figurine. "Kamen Rider!"

Ryoichi shook his head as he leaned on one arm. "It's amazing how these two know each other so well despite being separated from each other like they are."

"Yes." Sasumu took a deep breath. "She didn't come? I thought she would want to see Tai?"

A frown quickly appeared on Ryoichi's face. The man leaned back as he crossed his arms. "She's letting other feelings get in the way. Plus... the last time she saw Tai he didn't exactly react well to her. He did after all call her the lady, and then the lady that takes care of Ryo."

"I think Tai blames her. Truth be told..."

"Don't blame yourself. It's not your fault all of this happened."

"And that doesn't help their perception of her."

"When the baby comes can we bring her along?" Tai's comment caused Ryo's eyes to go wide with excitement. The color though left the faces of the two men.

Sasumu looked away. "Tai. We've talked about this."

"But why? She's Ryo's baby too."

"It's your mother's decision." Ryoichi blurted out causing both men to look at each other.

Sasumu reached a hand up to rub the back of his head. "Yes. It's your mother's decision. No matter what way you look at it."

Ryo's eyes clamped shut and he pulled his figurine tight as the corners of his mouth pushed together. He then opened them, but a smile didn't come. "That's all right. I've got Tai-chan."

… _**Five Years After the Event …**_

"Kari's gotten to be this big now."

"I wish I could get to see her."

Tai's finger tapped on the bench. He then leaned back to let his head bang against the wall. He absentmindedly pulled the goggles down over his eyes."I don't get it. Why can't Kari not know you're her brother to. Adults are weird."

"They're letting us go and see each other on our own."

"Momma doesn't like it."

Ryo blinked a couple of times. "Ka-chan's fine."

"Not the lady. Kari's mom. I'm supposed to call her momma to." Tai looked over to see his brother closing his eyes. "Are you crying?"

"No. This stinks. Ka-chan says we won't be able to go to the same elementary school because we live in different areas."

Tai blinked a couple of times before leaning over and pulling the goggles back up. "What do you mean?"

"As I said. We live in different areas. We're allowed to meet up here because this is where dad and Akiyama-san work, and they trust the adults here. What's going to happen when Kari's able to start visiting dad at work. I'm not allowed to see her, and you say she's already following you around whenever she can."

Tai sighed before pulling the goggles over his eyes again. "She's just a half-sister. Half-sisters aren't as good as full sisters."

"Isn't the reason she's a half-sister because we each get half? We're still supposed to protect her."

The goggles came back up, and Tai pointed his thumb at his chest. "Don't worry Ryo. I'll just protect her twice as much because you can't. Keep in mind I still too that I can't ride a bike and you can." Two brown eyes watched as a matching pair suddenly closed. "Hey... you aren't crying."

"Boy's don't cry Tai."

… _**In the Present …**_

The fourteen year old couldn't help but feel Akiyama Ryoichi was purposefully avoiding discussion of a particular subject, but he also couldn't help but acknowledge the man was right about getting out of the wet clothes and taking a hot bath. Reluctantly he went into the bathroom only for his entire body to tense up.

There on the counter were the things belonging to _that_ woman and their step-father, but Ryo's things were still on the counter as if waiting for Ryo to come back. Tai felt his facial features fall as one hand reached out for the toothbrush with the kids show theme only to stop short. " _Would Ryo actually still be into this kind of thing?_ " Tai's eyes snapped shut. " _Scratch that. He's still be into Kamen Rider and all of that. He'd also be a chuunibyou, and I'd go along with it._ "

A groan left Tai's mouth as he leaned against the counter as the palms of his hands stung. "Really? I would have been a chuunibyou if Ryo was still around? I think I would have broken him of the habit instead."

He set down the dry clothes, started up the bath water and pulled off the wet clothes. He tossed them onto the counter and for awhile tried to forget about everything as he soaked in the tub. Eventually he needed to get out, and he got dressed in the over sized clothes which obviously belonged to his step father. Without thinking he reached out for the toothbrush with the kids show theme and placed toothpaste on the brush and bushed his teeth as per his normal routine.

After putting the toothbrush back he headed to the kitchen where his step-father had prepared something simple to eat. Agumon was helping to set the table, and things felt overly calm. The man looked up. "Did you enjoy your bath?"

"Don't worry. I washed behind my ears and brushed my teeth."

"You what?"

"If your asking why I brushed my teeth before eating it's because I always take a bath sometime after eating dinner."

"That's not... what toothbrush did you use?"

"Ryo's. What other toothbrush would I use." Tai couldn't help but notice the rather green look on the man's face. "What?"

"You used _another_ persons toothbrush?"

"It was _Ryo_ 's toothbrush. It isn't as if I used Kari's, or yours, or _theirs_ or _hers_. I used Ryo's."

"Since when?"

"I always used Ryo's toothbrush when I spent the night."

"You don't pack a toothbrush when you spend the night at another persons home?"

"No. Just when I'm staying the night here. Before Kari was born and Ryo was allowed to come over he did the same thing."

"That..." The man shook his head. "What kind of logic makes that all right?"

"We have the same DNA?"

"You wouldn't have known something like that when you were younger."

"It's still a logical explanation."

"In what..." The man closed his eyes and let out a sigh. "Never mind. I really should learn not to ask such questions of the two... of you. Let's just go ahead and eat." Tai went and sat down at the table so the palms of his hands were facing up. The man paused before speaking again. "On second thought I'll be right back."

Tai felt the corners of his mouth twist up. "Hey! Stop trying to avoid the subject?" A flash of yellow caused the fourteen year old to turn around. "Not yet Agumon. Have some patience."

The yellow Digimon looked up at Tai before blinking a couple of times. "Taichi... what does having the same DNA mean?"

"It's just another way of saying someone is a twin. That's all."

"I still don't understand this twin concept."

"Don't worry about it." Tai turned his head when something was set down on the table. He noted the man had brought a first aid kit. "Please. Could you stop avoiding the subject."

"What subject?"

"I just found out from _her_ that Kari isn't my half-sister like I've always thought. I _just_ found out that the man whose been raising me is _not_ my father." Tai winced as the man grabbed one his hands and applied medicine to the scrapes on his palm. "On top of this I find out that _she_... the woman whose _supposed_ to be my mother... decided to give me up. Why? Because she couldn't handle two of us? Or because you didn't want kids and it was a compromise."

"The reason we choose to give you up had _nothing_ to do with not thinking we could handle two kids. It didn't have to do with us _not_ wanting both of you either."


	10. Complexity

… _**Two Years, Eight Months After Event ~ Parallel World …**_

Nami lay on the couch as the twins played with the bright toys her sister and brother-in-law brought for them. One hand touched her forehead as she tried getting rid of the headache she received from teaching her particular group of kids. A knock came at the door, and she found herself heading to the door to see Ryoichi standing there. "What? Are nii-chan and nee-chan still trying to hook us up?"

"They're working late at the lab tonight, and I couldn't trust you to be with the twins alone."

The woman stepped aside and watched as the man stepped into her apartment. "Come on. I'm not that bad."

"They're not yet in bed, and I bet you've not fed them yet."

"Aren't you glad we're not married. You would be worried about me neglecting our kids."

"If we were married I doubt we would have any kids with how much you dislike them."

Tai's head darted up as he looked at his aunt. "Aunt Nami? Do you like Ryo and me."

"Of course not." Nami's hands flew to her mouth while Ryoichi gave her an exasperated look. "I didn't mean to say that."

"Why do you hate us?"

"I don't."

"You said you did."

"Your aunt was thinking about how she doesn't like the students she teaches when she answered you." Ryoichi watched as Tai stared for a few minutes before shrugging his shoulders.

"I'm glad he bought your answer."

"I don't think he did."

The woman sighed before reaching out for the television controller. "Care to watch some news with me?"

"I thought you were tired enough with your own problems with work."

Ryoichi sat down while Tai hurried over to hand him a toy before going and sitting back down with Ryo. The man frowned while Nami shook her head. "Every so often Tai and Ryo will do that. For some reason they think I want to play to. I'm to old for that."

The television clicked on and Nami quickly switched to the news. "One advantage of coming over here is I get to use their television."

A sudden string of text spread across the screen, and the news caster frowned. " _Hold on. We're receiving breaking news. We'll shift you to our reporter whose near the scene._ "

" _This is Ishida Hiroaki reporting from the scene of an explosion. As you can see from the smoke coming from..._ "

Nami leaned forwards suddenly. "Wait... isn't that where nii-chan and nee-chan work?"

Ryoichi stood up. "I need to go make some calls. Turn off the television."

"I want to see if there is any information."

"Not in front of them. I'm more likely to get answers quicker."

Nami leaned back as she clicked the remote for the television so the electronic device turned off. "This is _why_ we're not married. Goodness knows I can't imagine ever being married to you in any universe."

… _**Six Months Prior to Even, Second Parallel World …**_

Clinking sound was heard as the caterers moved about the room serving the food and drink. Soft music played in the background, and the room was decked out in white. Yuuko leaned over to her sister and shook her head. "Seriously... I would have gone with a more traditional wedding. I wanted to see you in the kimono."

Nami leaned to the side. "Don't worry. You should be getting married eventually. This is more my style, and that's yours." A clinking sound was heard on the glass as the man sitting next to the bride spoke only for the man to freeze up. Nami let out a sigh and held up her glass. "Here is the tradition of giving speeches. I wished for a Western style wedding, though my husband and sister wanted a more traditional one. Ryoichi has something to say."

The man's mouth opened, but then clamped shut. "Nami..."

"Well... you wanted to talk about why you didn't have a best man."

The man stood up as a sigh escaped his lips. "As many have noticed Nami's maid of honor was her twin sister, but I didn't have a best man. There honestly were quite a few people who likely could have served that place, but the person I would have most wanted to be in that role... Yagami Sasumu... couldn't be here today."

Silence fell over the room, and he made to sit down. Nami though tugged at his sleeve. "The reason he couldn't be here today is because around a year and a half ago there was an accident at the place I worked involving Yagami. That is it."

Nami's eyes rolled as her husband sat down. She stood up then. "That's not it. Ryoichi actually intended to introduce Yagami-san to my sister as he felt they would be a great match. I asked him why he was so down a year and a half ago, and that's how we're together now. Now that is it."

She sat down and took a deep breath as others began to make their speeches. Yuuko let out a sigh. "I know Ryoichi-san... nii-san... I know he thought we would be a great match for each other Nami, but I can't see that being quite accurate."

Nami leaned over. "I'd actually thought he was interested in you until then."

Yuuko's eyebrows rose up. "Interested in me? I knew otherwise. You're rather silly Nami."

"Still... you seem quite depressed. Please tell me you weren't hoping to get to him."

"No... it's nothing really."

… _**In the Present …**_

"The reason we choose to give you up had _nothing_ to do with not thinking we could handle two kids. It didn't have to do with us _not_ wanting both of you either." The man sat down and gave the usual thanks for the food. Agumon and Tai proceeded to do the same, but the fourteen year old refused to eat.

Tai felt the sinking feeling he'd felt since he'd run into that woman suddenly deepening. "You expect me to believe you? I've been raise by people who aren't my parents. You both know that man is not Yagami Sasumu and yet you still let him raise me."

The first aid kit snapped shut, and Ryoichi set the box aside. "Taichi... something has been bothering me about what you've said."

"And what would that be?"

"You've come to the conclusion that man isn't your father, but how exactly did you come to that conclusion?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

"Obviously not."

"I obviously found out something."

"Let me ask a more direct question then. What did you find out?"

Tai swallowed as Agumon chugged down his food. "I saw dad's grave."

Ryoichi froze as he reached for some more of a particular dish. "You saw... I take it then you were visiting Ryo's grave despite the fact we've asked you not to?"

"I know. That's because you don't want Kari to be visiting. All of that's stupid, particularly when she's not my real sister. It really sucked enough when I thought I was hiding from her the fact we were half-siblings. Now I have to hide the fact we're not siblings. Some of the things I've been able to get away with her, but not Ryo also now feel really creepy."

The man sighed. "Half-siblings huh."

"No. We're not siblings at all. Kari thinks we're full blood siblings, I thought we were half. I now find even I was lied to."

"I can't deny the fact you've been lied to all of your life. I can't really deny that since you saw his grave." The man set his chopsticks down temporarily while Agumon continued to stuff food into his mouth. "The thing is while it is true we've lied to you and Ryo, we've done everything we can to avoid lying to Hikari."

Tai felt his throat tighten as well as a sweat break out. "How is that even possible?"

"It's possible because we've told Hikari half truths, but never actually lied to her."


End file.
